Simulacrum
by Nadare
Summary: Hank is surprised to see Connor on his stoop on the eve of an android revolution. A Missing Scene from a Good Ending Run wherein Hank is Abducted by Connor's Duplicate.


Tags: Good Ending (Everybody Lives), Missing Scene, Nega Connor Abducts Hank, Sumo Knows All, CyberLife is a Dick

 _A/N: I love filling in the narrative holes in this game. So much room to explore._

[Written on and off between 6/23/18 to 6/27/18]

* * *

" _ **Simulacrum"**_

The doorbell buzzed insistently. Napping on the couch, Sumo stretched across his lap, Hank's head jerked up at the noise. He glanced towards the door grumpily, then down at his dog. "Hey, mangy mutt. Move." Sumo whined as he got to his feet, jumping to the floor, settling into his bed in the far corner.

Rubbing the back of his neck as he made his way to the door, Hank was ready to verbally assault whoever deigned to disturb his sleep. The rude words died in his throat as he looked through the peephole, a familiar set of brown eyes and lit LED circle greeting him. The last time he'd seen Connor had been two days ago at the police station, slipping into the evidence room while he plowed his fist into Perkins' smug looking face.

"Where the hell have you been?" Hank asked after opening the door, staring Connor down. It figured he would just show back up like nothing had happened. "I'm on suspension because of you. The least my partner could do is let me know how it all went."

Connor looked down, seeming repentant. "I apologize, lieutenant. I never meant to make you worry unnecessarily." He stepped into the house when Hank moved out of his way, holding the door open in silent invitation.

Hank crossed his arms after the door had shut softly. "So you're sorry, that's good. Did you find Jericho?"

The android nodded, his eyes lighting up at the topic. "Yes, but by the time I got there, the FBI was already moving in on the deviants. I was forced to retreat for fear of getting caught in the crossfire."

"I saw a bit of that on the news. That bastard Perkins jumped the gun, huh?"

"While I admire their eagerness, I wish I had been able to confer with some of them before the attack."

"So what's our next move then?" Hank asked, eager to do something rather than sit idly on the sidelines. Especially now when the shit was hitting the fan due to the androids' protest.

"I was able to hack into one of the deviants' memories before he passed. I think they're planning on infiltrating CyberLife and replenishing their numbers," Connor explained patiently while Hank slipped into the bathroom, leaning over the sink. He'd only had a few beers, but the cold water he splashed on his face fully sobered him up.

"They hitting it tonight?" Hank glanced at the clock, seeing it was just past 10 PM.

"I believe so," Connor said. "Would you like to come?"

Hank walked back to the living room, flashing Connor a grin. "Try and stop me." Seeing Hank head to the closet for his coat, Sumo got up and trotted up to the pair, his tail wagging. He started halfway towards Connor, then paused, sniffing noisily.

Hank frowned, putting his coat over his arm when Sumo started growling, baring his teeth. "What the hell's the matter with you? It's just Connor," he said, wondering why the dog was acting so strange.

"Perhaps I unknowingly picked up the scent of another animal on the way here," Connor explained, taking a step back and keeping a cautious eye on Sumo who refused to move, still growling underneath his breath.

"Maybe," Hank replied, narrowing his eyes, feeling a familiar itch in the back of his mind, rusty detective skills kicking in as he realized there was something different about Connor.

He stared at the android's clothes, finding nothing amiss, his gaze sweeping up to Connor's eyes. The coldness he encountered there, paired with Sumo's uncharacteristic behavior, clinched it.

"You're not Connor," he stated, taking a few careful steps toward Sumo, resting one hand on the dog's back.

Connor tilted his head as if he couldn't believe Hank's skepticism. "I assure you I am the android sent by CyberLife."

"Where's the real Connor?" Hank asked impatiently, wishing he hadn't left his gun on the kitchen table. The imposter's face twitched, his LED flashing yellow, and a burst of pride swelled in Hank's chest as he realized what had happened. "I'll be goddamned. He turned deviant on you guys, didn't he?"

He laughed. "Good for him." No expression crossed Connor's face when he reached behind his back, pulling out a gun. As he aimed it towards Hank, Sumo's head lowered towards the floor, snarling loudly, preparing to jump.

Sensing what was about to happen, Hank thought fast, tossing his coat into Connor's face just as his gun veered towards Sumo. He barreled into the android with his shoulder, knocking him to the floor. The gun went off, the shot going wild, biting into the ceiling instead.

Having seen first hand how fast Connor could be, Hank used the few precious seconds he had before Connor recovered to pull a resistant Sumo by the collar towards his bedroom, still raring to go, protective instincts on overdrive.

The world was somewhat muffled from the gun's explosive report inside the confined space. Hank shoved Sumo into the bedroom, shutting the door in his panicked dog's face while his ears rang painfully.

The loud scratching against the door and barking sounds came back slowly, Hank glaring at the taciturn machine that wore his partner's face.

"The fuck kind of game you playing, asshole?" Hank said, slightly out of breath from the physical activity, his hearing snapping back fully on the last word.

Connor leisurely approached Hank, infuriatingly calm about the situation. "You are to come with me, Lieutenant Anderson."

Hank only had half the story but knew going along with Connor's doppelganger wasn't a

good idea. He leaned back against the bedroom door, his right shoulder and upper back beginning to ache from the earlier rough treatment. "Fuck you."

"It is in your best interest if you comply with my demands," the android advised, the barrel of his gun far too close to Hank's face for his liking.

"You mean CyberLife's interests, don't you?" Connor inclined his head, confirming Hank's suspicions. "What are you sons of bitches planning?"

Hank's insides went cold when Connor smiled. "Stopping a deviant, of course. My memories show Connor holds a fondness for you. We plan to use that to our advantage. Which does he value more: you or his freedom?"

"A fucking bargaining chip," Hank snarled unhappily. How low had he fallen in life to be in such a pathetic state?

"If I may ask, how did you know that I wasn't the correct Connor? My performance was flawless," the imposter inquired, motioning for Hank to move towards the front door.

Hank chuckled bitterly. "I used to be very good at my job. Still am sometimes." Which was a surprise, but tonight seemed to be full of them.

"It was the dog, wasn't it? Logically, there should be no difference between us, but animals are always unpredictable." Reaching down to retrieve his coat from the floor where Connor had tossed it, Hank glanced back towards his bedroom. Sumo was still battering the door incessantly, barking like mad.

As they exited the house, Connor took a moment to shut the front door behind him, then pushed Hank toward the curb where a car awaited them. "You guys are wrong, you know," Hank said. "Thinking Connor will just pick one thing."

Connor's double peered at Hank inquisitively as he got into the car, shortly taking the seat opposite Hank, his gun not wavering once. "Once he sets his sights on something, he'll get it, your bullshit ultimatum be damned."

Hank settled back into his seat, smiling as he met Connor's gaze, feeling the car start off towards its destination. "Before this night is out, I'm going to see you dead."

For trying to hurt Sumo and seeing Connor's deviancy as a disease when it was nothing of the sort.

"We'll see about that, won't we?"


End file.
